Abstract/Summary

A survey of 451 Countryside Stewardship Scheme (CSS) agreements was carried out across England in 1998–1999 to characterise
the ecological quality of the land. The land within the agreements was mapped using the UK Biodiversity Action Plan Broad and
Priority Habitats and the vegetation of the agreements was sampled using random quadrats. By far the most widespread Broad
Habitat was Improved Grassland, accounting for around 50% of all agreement land. Of this, the majority was semi-improved.
Priority Habitats accounted for 15% of all agreement land (equivalent to around 18,500 ha). In addition to the 15%, there was also
land within habitat mosaics containing one or more Priority Habitat. The analysis of vegetation revealed that 53% of all randomlyplaced
quadrats were categorised as Infertile Grassland and 24% as Fertile Grassland. Survey data were compared with results
from the Countryside Survey 2000, a national assessment of vegetation undertaken in 1998. In the lowland areas of England, CSS
land had a much higher proportion of grassland habitats and was much more likely to be typical of low fertility situations than the
countryside as a whole. In the marginal uplands and uplands, CSS agreement land contained a greater proportion of grassland, but
with a reduced proportion of important upland Broad Habitats, such as Dwarf Shrub Heath and Bog, although these do tend to be
found more in the Environmentally Sensitive Areas. The differences between the CSS and the countryside as a whole clearly reflect
the priorities of the CSS, especially the high proportion of grassland. The CSS has targeted Broad and Priority Habitats and in this
respect has been successful.